We Are The Ship- The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson- Book Set #4

Nelson, K. (2008).  We are the ship; the story of negro league baseball. New York, NY.

We Are The Ship is a NYT Best Seller, a Coretta Scott King Award winning book, and a Sibert Medal Award winner.  The historical fiction picture book is divided into innings rather than chapters.  Beautiful, oil paintings are featured in one and two page spreads of the entire pages and fill the book with life.  The narration of the story is from the view point of a fictional ball player who "lived"  and  played through the time in which the Negro League existed.  But the story and history of the Negro League Baseball is true.  The narrator describes the beginnings and organization of the league by Rube Foster who said that Negros would have to organize a league themselves if they wanted to play professionally.  And his quote "We are the ship; all else the sea" is the title for this book.   Through out the book, real players are described and woven into the history and story. In the 2nd Inning we learn about the kind of rough baseball that was played in the league as compared to the majors. In the 3rd Inning we learn about life on the road and the experience of segregation as well as heroism. In the 4th Inning we learn about the Negro League owners who earned their money through the "numbers" game. In the 5th Inning the Negro League All-Stars and their talents are described.  Many of which were more talented than the all-stars in the major leagues. The 6th Inning covers the ball players who came from Latin America.  The 7th Inning describes how unfair the umpires could be when playing the white leagues.  The 8th Inning describes the Negro League All Star Game and the impact of World War II draft had on the participation of the league.  In chapter 9, baseball legend and hero Jackie Robinson is introduced and the true story of how he was the first African American to participate in the Majors, breaking ground and making way for the sport, the country, and for other players.  The last chapter tiled "Extra Innings" describes the end of the Negro League because after Jackie crossed over, many of the best players were soon signing with the majors.  

The story of Negro League baseball is compelling because of its authenticity.  The time lines, names and dates help to make the reader realize the accuracy of this book.  The included bibliography and resources at the end help to do the same.  The baseball players, although less relatable to today's young readers are still captured as the glorious athletes that they were.  A hero to many at the time and perhaps connects to those baseball lovers of today.  The plot is mostly a true account of what life would have been like during that time as a baseball player with all it's ups and downs of the culture of America during this time.  The theme of leadership, breaking barriers, and the love of baseball is woven through out this authentic story making it an especially wonderful book for baseball lovers of any age, race, or time period.